The Organizational Structure of My Facility, Essay Example

Organization is arguably the most essential aspect of a functioning nursing unit. Without accurate and reliable organizational charts, it is certain that staff will become confused and patient care may even be compromised. Charts, however, are only as effective if the nursing staff itself is well organized and properly managed. I have experienced the level of organization and chain of command in my practicum site and one other nursing facility. While both of these sites had their strengths, I feel that the organization and level of communication in my practicum site was far superior to my experience in the other facility.

The organization in my practicum site was much more cohesive than the other organization I worked for. In my practicum site, the dispersion of controlling forces was much more even. The geographic positions of the nursing stations were even and well thought out. The chain of command was also clear and slightly flexible. It gave those of us who were newer to the facility the chance to both have constant access to superiors in times of question and experience independent control. In the other facility I worked in, the chain of command was much more strict, and yet the superintendents were much less accessible. I often found myself in need of council and unable to locate a superior. The strict atmosphere of this organization made me precarious to carry out any procedures or make any decisions on my own. The environment this attitude created prevented the nurses from feeling fully comfortable, and therefore seemed to put the patients on edge as well. The feeling of this facility was not one of a team, but of a machine. This was an instance of too much organization backfiring. For these reasons, my practicum site was much more conducive to advancing my skills as a nurse. The organized, yet flexible structure of the nursing staff helped me to grow as an individual without feeling abandoned and without guidance.

In order to improve patient care, I think it is important for nurses to be very centralized. In the second facility I worked in, there was far too much migration of nurses in my opinion. Nurses would be moved to different wards with little notice. I strongly believe that the calming presence of competent nurses is essential to patient trust and care. When patients are not confident that they can count on familiar faces taking care of them, there are likely to be much less comfortable in the facility. I would also make the decision to have a looser chain of command. I believe nurses work more productively when they are given the freedom to make some decisions on their own. I feel that when the chain of command is too strictly enforced, it is hard for nurses to develop their skills and learn how to work independently of constant guidance I feel that by making these few administrative decisions, patient care could be much more organized and nurses could have a better platform to develop their skills.

While in my experiences I have come to greatly rely on the hierarchy established by organizational charts, I fully comprehend that there are many situations in which direction may come from other sources. In most of these instances, I believe it is important for nurses to retrace the chain of command and consult their superiors as stated on the chart. However, in urgent situations, it may make sense to accept communication or commands from a source not indicated on the chart. While it would be much easier to make the issue black and white and strictly agree to never accept direction from a source not indicated on the chart, each situation is different and needs to be examined individually. This is where the nurse’s individual discretion plays an important role. Personally, I am prone to follow direction no matter who it comes from, so I find myself having to slow down and directly question who is giving me commands and whether or not they have the authority and depth of patient knowledge to do so.

Having worked in both an organized facility and a less cohesive one, I have gained a great appreciation for the importance of a proper chain of command that is supported by clear charts. While I appreciated the leniency of my practicum site, it was also nice to have the plethora of experience of my superiors to fall back on at the other facility. There are definitely advantages to structuring things in both of these manners. Overall, I think the centralization of power is important, so that there is no confusion about the chain of command. It is also essential to make sure that nurses are allowed to remain in generally the same location with the same coworkers and patients whenever possible so that they can be as comfortable and knowledgeable as possible. Above all the organization of a nursing team is not primarily for the comfort of the nurses, it is instead essential for the comfort and superior level of care for patients. This is why it is important for me to be involved in facilities that I am confident in. My experiences in nursing have shown me two very different approaches to organization and the chain of command. After examining my experiences I have gained a deeper understanding of what makes for a cohesive team and what nature of environment I thrive in. All of these aspects are important for me to consider in the future when I choose a nursing team to join. Perhaps someday I will even find myself in a position of leadership, and then my understanding of effective charts and staff organization will undoubtedly help me make important decisions.